Advanced PowerPoint

Do you use PowerPoint on a daily basis for your job?

Do you find that the slides you build (and those of your colleagues) require an ENORMOUS amount of time, energy and frustration to build, update and edit?

Well, the reason that many people struggle in PowerPoint and waste away the office past their bedtimes, is that they go about building and editing their slides in the wrong way!

Yes, they more-or-less know where all the PowerPoint commands are, but they lack techniques and strategies for QUICKLY building (and untangling) high quality, scalable slides that are easy to update and manage in the future.

As the saying goes, "just because you can pick up a chisel and hammer doesn't make you a Michelangelo"…

Well, just because you can drop a few shapes on your slide and type some text, doesn't make you a high flying consultant or the go-to PPT guru (regardless of what your boss thinks).

Introducing Advanced PowerPoint

Advanced PowerPoint includes 7 hours of sequenced videos teaching you step-by-step how to quickly build robust, scalable slides for the corporate environment.

I assume you are already semi-PPT savvy: you've read books, taken courses, maybe even attended live trainings and are now ready to learn how to blast through your slides and graphics in half the time.

This is where the rubber meets the road...

And just imagine how excited you'll be the next time you sit down at your desk with your trusty side-kick cup of Joe, fire up PowerPoint and KNOW that you'll finish your deck in half the time it would have previously taken you...and be significantly better (technically sound) too.

Yup, it may sound like hype...

But I'll help you build the skills and habits to do exactly that without using any whizbang templates or overhyped add-ins (you don't need them).

Here is how I will get you there...guaranteed:

• 3 core frameworks for revolutionizing how you tackle your slides by simplifying the number of decisions you need to make. These frameworks work regardless of which version of PowerPoint you are using and will never be outdated with the next version of Office.
• Drills to Master 60+ PowerPoint shortcuts that will double your output and increase the quality of your slides (including a shortcut cheat sheet to keep at your desk)
• Download my exact PowerPoint customizations. It took me over 5 years to figure out this EXACT setup (down to the order that you list your commands in)...and it's wicked fast
• Numerous drills and exercises for forming the habits you need to navigate PowerPoint almost entirely from your keyboard (for PC users)
• And much MUCH more!

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What Students Are Saying:

• "The Best Time-Saving Guide for Heavy PowerPoint Users" - Yong
• "Best PowerPoint course I've ever taken" - Sven
• "PowerPoint Power Course" - Bronwyn
• "Tremendous course, especially for aspiring consultants!" - John
• "Essential PowerPoint Speed Training" - Charles

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So Where Are You Currently At And How Much Further Are You Going To Get On your Own?

Are you the go-to person at your company for PowerPoint, and looking for new strategies and techniques that will make you EVEN better?

Are you an analyst bogged down at your job creating and editing PowerPoint presentations, and you want to learn how to fast track through your decks so that you can spend your time on higher value added tasks that will help you get promoted?

Are you an undergraduate or MBA student looking to get into investment banking or consulting, and you want to get a jump start on that "proficient at PowerPoint" line on your resume so that you can hit the ground running when you land the job?

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Join Advanced PowerPoint Today And Learn How to:

Spend Less Time Formatting: 40% or more of people's time in PowerPoint is currently wasted on repetitive formatting and alignment tasks…I'll show you how to eliminate many of these.

Become a Keyboard Jockey: Everyone knows that power users use their keyboard for just about EVERYTHING…I'll show you exactly when and where to use your keyboard, and help you build the muscle memory so that it sticks.

Make Better Deck Decisions: Many great "dream" slides become re-haul "nightmares" when you have to update or rework them later…I'll teach you how to make better decisions on the front end of your deck so that your slides are easy to update and manage when things change…as they always do.

And Much, MUCH More: It takes people years of trial and error sitting at their desk to pick up great PowerPoint hacks and tricks…I'll save you the trouble and show you the best of the best that I've collected over the years.

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Course Outline

Unit 1: Using Your Keyboard For Just About Everything

In Unit 1, I'll show you how to use your keyboard for just about everything in PowerPoint, how to optimize the PowerPoint environment for speed and the many flavors of shortcuts we'll be covering.

This is the LAST place people look to improve their speed and efficiency, yet this is THE critical first step if you want to build slides (from scratch) in less than 3 minutes.

I've spent years testing ways to minimize repetitive tasks and optimize the PowerPoint environment for speed and I'll reveal everything that I've learned.

Unit 2: Strategically Building Scale-able Layouts

In Unit 2, I'll walk you through how to rapidly create, format, and manage the core building blocks of professional presentations (shapes, lines and text boxes). You'll also learn the core frameworks that will help guide you in making better deck decisions that will save you time now and in the future.

After Unit 2 you will be able to quickly manage and manipulate the objects of a slide to quickly generate new layout ideas without breaking a sweat.

I'll also show you exactly where most people's layouts go wrong and how to quickly troubleshoot and fix them so that they are more robust in the future.

Unit 3: Making Everything Perfect

In Unit 3 I'll show you how to align ANYTHING in PowerPoint by focusing on 'technically' impossible alignment issues that most people use guesswork to get into place.

This unit will ensure that your slides maintain the highest level of professionalism by avoiding common (and often embarrassing) alignment issues that most people think are impossible.

Unit 4: Demystifying the Common Issues with Lines in Hierarchies and Flow Processes

In Unit 4 I'll show you how to solve the many inconsistencies of working with lines in PowerPoint that destroy most people's layouts (and create hours of reworking issues).

In addition, I'll show you a step-by-step process for tackling a real world connector mess, as you'll likely encounter lots of them during your career. I won't let other people's disasters slow you down.

Unit 5: Building rapid fire layouts with boxes and flying carpets

In Unit 5 you'll learn how to polish slides in less than 2 minutes using my famous boxing things up technique. The scenario is you have been given new slides that you MUST include in your presentation…and they suck. The trouble is you don't have a lot of time to invest as you are running out the door...now what?

In this unit you'll learn how to quickly build box layouts, how to default your formatting so that you can build your layouts faster as well as looking at how to build out alternative layouts with implied boxes (using flying carpets) and odd shape boxes.

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Frequently Asked Questions:

Is this a workshop about all the different features of PowerPoint, how to save a presentation, where to find the picture formatting tools, etc.?

We assume you're already computer savvy and know how to find your way around. Unlike many other courses out there, this workshop focuses entirely on how to use PowerPoint in the real world, rather than simply where all the different features are located. Each unit is packed full of strategies and techniques you can use every single time you work in PowerPoint. If it isn't useful for completing tasks today, we don't cover it.

Does the workshop include public speaking tips, crafting a better presentation (how many slides, how many bullets, etc.), story-boarding, or general tips on how to develop a better message?

This workshop focuses specifically on the technical applications of being 3x Faster working in PowerPoint. For all intents and purposes, this workshop assumes that you already know what you want to include in your presentation, and focuses on showing you how to build it as quickly as possible. If you are looking for guidance on how to build and deliver a "Steve Jobs" presentation, this workshop is not for you.

Is the workshop about building "warm and fuzzy" slides that entertain or dazzle an audience?

This workshop assumes your job is to build professional grade slides to impress your boss or colleagues in professional settings, not to build slides to show your holiday photos to friends on the weekend.

Will I learn how to create animations and slide transitions?

This workshop focuses on content heavy slides that are sent via email or printed for review...the types of slides where animations and slide transitions are irrelevant and a waste of time.

I've been using PowerPoint for 9 + years, will I learn anything?

If you can complete our Speed Challenge in less than two minutes, then you do not need to take this course. Otherwise, you will learn a repeatable system you can use to build slides, like those in our Speed Challenge, in record timing.

How fast can I become?

How much you get out of this workshop depends on how much you put into it. The goal is to teach you a systematic, repeatable system to quickly build content. If you are willing to learn our system and follow along with us, you'll have all the tools to build slides like the Challenge Slides in less than two minutes. To get a sense of how fast you are now, take our Speed Challenge (download or watch below), and compare your time to ours.

Why the focus on shapes, lines and textboxes?

We focus on improving the speed with which you accomplish everyday tasks in PowerPoint, using the core building blocks of professional presentations: shapes, lines and textboxes. These objects account for at least 80% of all the objects used in content heavy slides in the professional world, so being able to manipulate these core building blocks quickly and effectively is critical.

My company uses set templates. Will I still be able to get something out of this workshop?

Absolutely. Most templates are built using shapes, lines and text boxes, so learning our system will help you become an expert at manipulating your templates.

Can I take this course if I'm using a Mac?

Although a PC version of Office is used to teach this course, students have taken the course using the Mac version of Office and been extremely happy.

The primary difference between the two versions is the quick access toolbar and the keyboard driven ribbon, so a number of the speed tricks covered do not work on a Mac. That said, all the strategies and techniques for building your slides are 100% applicable to the Mac version of PowerPoint and will save you time.

If you are using a Mac version of Office, I encourage you to try the course as is and if you are not satisfied for whatever reason, refund the course within 30 days of purchase.

Which version of PowerPoint do I need to follow along?

You can follow along with PowerPoint 2007, 2010 or 2013. Throughout the workshop, we'll use PowerPoint 2013, but we'll make note of any differences between the versions so that you can follow along regardless of which version you are using.